The next sections of the Gloria are the "Gratias" and "Domine".  Tension
and drama are the key elements of each section; the "Gratias" has a massive
quality, while the "Domini" has an undercurrent of urgency and is written
for two soprano voices.

Let's go with some one-on-ones here.  Christie's performances are crisp and
possess the requisite tension and drama.  Most impressive is the singing
duo of Patricia Petibon and Lynne Dawson; both have delectable voices and
sing with an exceptional sense of urgency and union.  Gardiner is almost
the other side of the coin from Christie.  When I listen to Christie,
there's a strength of projection and bite that's missing.  Gardiner brings
these qualities to the forefront, and his "Gratias" is really massive and
uplifting.  Unfortunately, his duo of Sylvia McNair and Diana Montague fall
short of the mark set by Chirstie's soloists.  I find that the Gardiner
twosome does not exhibit an intimacy with one another; the result is lost
urgency.

Gardiner and Christie aren't 'chopped liver', but they can't hold a
candle to the Bernstein and Leppard performances.  Gardiner is massive,
but Bernstein goes through the roof; the majesty is astounding.  To top it
off, he has Arleen Auger and Frederica von Stade singing in top form and
beartifully together.  The only thing is that the two voices aren't quite
different enough to suit me.

Although Leppard doesn't reach the all-enveloping terrain of Bernstein,
his singers are even better.  I've already raved about Ileana Cotrubas,
and her collaboration with Kiri Te Kanawa is out of this world.  Unlike
Bernstein's duo, this one has distinct voices playing off each other
deliciously.  Their urgency can't be matched, and they soar like no other
duo in this music.  With Leppard's excellent direction and orchestral
support, the performances are at the exalted level of Bernstein's.

There's a wide gulf between Hogwood and Halasz.  Hogwood's "Gratias" may
not have the massive qualities of Bernstein, but it's in Gardiner's league
and loaded with tension.  His "Domini" is perfectly proportioned and the
singers outstanding.  Auger and Dawson team up this time, and the results
are alternately sublime and majestic.  They fit together so well, and
Hogwood's pacing is superb.  Let's add this version to the ones from
Leppard and Bernstein.

The Halasz performances do have much going for them.  The "Gratias" is
satisfying and moderately dramatic, and Halasz's singing duo is alluring.
But these fine qualities can be found in most other recorded performances.
The negative here, and it's a big one, is the very slow tempo Halasz
uses in the "Domine".  Add in his low degree of tension, and we have
a performance that drags quite frequently.  Although the singing is
enjoyable, it's not good enough to lift up this music.  Halasz again
takes bottom position.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and rate Marriner, Te Kanawa, and von
Otter as low as the Halasz performances although for a different reason.
There's nothing wrong with Marriner; the "Gratias" is good and his drama in
the "Domine" is commendable.  The problem involves two excellent vocalists
who sound all wrong together.  von Otter has a very dark voice which I
associate with 'dusk'.  Compared to von Otter, Te Kanawa sounds like she's
chirping away at the beginning of the day.  The two of them never meet up,
as if each performed her part on a different day.  For me, this kills the
Marriner "Domine".

Switch to the Somary "Domine" and we find two singers, Carole Bogard and
Ann Murray, who can relate to and play off one another.  Given Somary's
excellent direction, I place this issue higher than the Gardiner and
Christie.  There is one little nagging reservation; the soprano choral
contributions can sound unattactive and not in unison.

I'm getting off the one-on-one train at this point.  The Davis performances
are good, but I remain less than enthusiastic about Helen Donath's voice;
when her excellent partner Heather Harper appears, it's clear to me that
Donath, at least on this recording, is not ready for prime-time.  The
Abbado performances are good, but he loosens the tension frequently in the
"Domine"; although Barbara Bonney does sound very expressive, she often
overwhelms Arleen Auger.  I'm assuming it's caused by the engineering.

Speaking of voices which don't sound excellent, I've previously mentioned
that I don't consider Edith Wiens to have a very attractive tone.  Her
partner in the "Dominie", Delores Ziegler, is no better.  The best I can
say about them is that they sound improved when singing together.  As for
Shaw, he loses much tension in the "Domine", and his slow pacing doesn't
help matter.  So it's bottom level for the Shaw performances.  However, I
retain my admiration for the superb Shaw chorus; those folks really know
how to sing as one as evidenced by the "Gratias".

Fricsay's performances are a little disappointing.  His chorus sounds
strident in the "Gratias", and Fricsay is another 'tension loser' in
the "Domine".  Maria Stader and Hertha Topper are the two that make the
"Domine" quite worthy.  Topper has very strong voice which sounds like it
could go on forever, and you can't get better than Stader.  Whether their
voices go well together is questionable.

The last two sets of performances via Nuemann and Herreweghe are relatively
laid-back creations which I feel miss essential elements of the music.
Schlick/Frimmer sound like they are taking up the rays at the beach, and
Herreweghe's comforting readings are entirely off the mark.  That makes
five versions which I don't feel do the music justice; I think that's a
high number, but hours of listening aren't changing my opinion.

Now we have the last three sections of the Gloria.  "Qui tollis" is massive
and austere choral music in the key of G minor with 'hushed' interludes and
conclusion.  Then we have "Quoniam" for two sopranos and tenor concluding
with another massive but more uplifting choral movement in C major which is
a double fugue.

I had mentioned that I felt Marriner's two vocal soloists, von Otter and
Kanawa, did not mesh well at all; the same situation comes up with the
entrance of Anthony Rolfe Johnson.  Hey, I'm no dummy; much of the problem
must be the engineering and placement of singers.  The three sound like
each is in a different room, particularly when listening on headphones.
There's no unity or sense of communication.  That's too bad, because
Marriner conducts brisk and powerful performances of stature and depth.

The engineering and singing in Somary's performances is a real treat.
As I reported above, Bogard and Murray communicate very well and sound
wonderful.  Richard Lewis just adds to the comraderie.  As for Somary, he
is very slow in the "Qui tollis" but pulls it off with an interpretation
which always possesses drive and tension.  I find his rhythms in the choral
movements totally compelling.

Both Davis and Bernstein make 'big' music and it suits these last three
movements excellently.  However, I find Bernstein rushed in the last
movement, and he uses an annoying organ for the "Qui tollis"; its voice is
too high and chirps along.  Lenny should have dumped it.  Davis is great
all-around.  His last movement has an infectious rhythm, and Helen Donath
doesn't bother me this time around.  Tenor Reyland Davies is an excellent
addition to the vocal mix.

Shaw's performances are not fully satisfying.  Atlhough the choral work
continues splendidly, the solo singing continues to be no contribution.
Further, Shaw has a tendency to place the orchestra too far behind his
chorus.

Christie is also problematic in the last three movements.  Lyricism is
on the low side in the last movement, and the overall pacing is not to
my liking in any of the three movements.  Christie is just plain fast,
sometimes too fast to convey impact as in the fugal entrances of the last
movement.  Another nagging concern is his penchant to shorten notes; with
short notes and fast tempo, the sweep of the music is lacking.

Cutting down some on the writing, Fricsay and company are fine, but I don't
detect any special qualities.  Also, I'd rather hear Maria Stader on her
own than in a threesome.  The Halasz performances are a step up for him;
tempos are judicious and power is at high levels.  His vocalists do nicely
together.  Things fall together quite well in Abbado's performances; he
holds the tension this time around, and the singing is more than
acceptable.

Although Herreweghe's last movement has plenty of clout, the "Qui tollis"
is weak.  Can Herreweghe spell 'massive'? Of course he can, but he doesn't
seem to have much affinity for the approach.  Hogwood offers very good
performances with particularly stunning interludes in the "Qui tollis".
Neumann's "Qui tollis" has a great undercurrent of tension, but I would
have liked more animation from the orchestra in the "Quoniam".  Gardiner
and Leppard do well with caveats.  Gardiner, like Nuemann, could have
granted us more animation in the "Quoniam", and Leppard's very slow pace
in the same movement creates a dragging effect from time to time.

With the completion of the Gloria, we are more than half-way through the
Great Mass in C minor.  Current standings are:

1.  Leppard has given us strong performances and he has Ileana Cotrubas.
I can't overstate the importance of the Soprano I in the Great Mass.  Just
about everywhere you turn when a vocal soloist is present, the Soprano I is
in the area.  Cotrubas is fantastic, and Leppard is easily good enough to
keep this version at the top so far.

2.  Davis, like Leppard, offers abundant strength and tension.  Also, his
tempos are more moderate than Leppard's.  But Leppard has Contrubas and
Davis has Helen Donath; that makes the difference.

3.  Somary? Yes, that's correct.  I have been very pleasantly surprised
with his performances which just seem to be getting better.  Further, his
singers are a formidable group and vocalize so well together.  The
performances really hit their stride when vocal duos and trios appear.

4.  Gardiner's vocal soloists aren't among the best, but they are
definitely of high quality.  Gardiner's conducting and his chorus are the
stars of this recording.

5.  The only thing you can be sure of from Bernstein is that he's going
to deliver all the 'juice' in a score.  That counts for much in the Great
Mass.  Add in some fine singing, and the results are highly rewarding.  But
get rid of that organ.

6.  Hogwood's version is giving us excellent conducting and singing with a
minimim of reservations.

7.  Fricsay's star is attached to Maria Stader to the same degree that
Leppard's is to Contrubas.  However, Fricsay can drop out on tension now
and then.  Also, recording quality is shrill at times; this is not exactly
a warm soundstage.

8.  Neumann has been a nice surprise.  As long as he doesn't go slack, the
performances are excellent.  Schlick has had some great moments as well.

9.  Patricia Petibon has been Christie's lifeline.  He can sound
perfunctory and his quick speeds are not routinely effective.

10.  With Abbado, we reach the point where a healthy recommendation is
unlikely.  Nothing about this version is standing out as distinctive or
particularly memorable; even when I have no reservations, the performances
do not captivate me.

11.  Marriner started off very well, but I think that the vocal soloist
placement at a minimum is greatly hurting the performances.  Yes, Marriner
himself is delivering the power, tension, and poetry the music needs.
However, the singing is way down on the scale when a duet or trio is upon
us.  Besides, those wanting the work's sweep can get it from Davis,
Leppard, Gardiner, and a few others.

12. Herreweghe's light, stark, and comforting performances aren't doing
it for me.  Actually, I think all the talk about his performances being so
tender and comforting is much ado about nothing.  The other conductors know
how to convey these qualities just as well as Herreweghe.  One doesn't have
to be dipping toward a comatose state to project comfort.

13.  Halasz has moved up one notch from the bottom.  With his power jets on
and the fine singing, this super-budget version isn't bad at all.

14.  Shaw currently occupies the bottom for two reasons.  First, the
soprano I is Edith Wiens; that's a bad situation.  Second, I sense that
Shaw places greater priority on his chorus than orchestra, and it shows
up frequently.  There are times when I say to myself, "Where's that
orchestra"?

The remainder of the Great Mass has some more tremendously rousing
music and the most gorgeous music in the work for the Soprano I.  It all
concludes with a powerful movement for the four vocal soloists *and* the
chorus.  See you soon.

Don Satz
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